Drive mechanism for the yarn guide means of a loom

ABSTRACT

A crank drive for a reciprocating yarn guide carrier band of a warp knitting machine is driven by the main drive shaft of the machine. It comprises a crank shaft, a first operating crank rotating with the crank shaft in one direction, an intermediate crank disc mounted on the crank shaft and driven in an opposite direction, a coupling rotatably mounted on the intermediate crank disc, and a driving rod for the yarn guide means. The pivot which links one driving rod end to the coupling is longitudinally slidable in the first operating crank.

United States Patent 11 1 Suffner Nov. 20, 1973 DRIVE MECHANISM FOR THE YARN GUIDE MEANS OF A LOOM Willi Suiiner, Breslauerstrasse 23, Dornigheim 645 l Germany Filed: Sept. 16, 1971 Appl. No.: 180,988

Inventor:

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 18, 1970 Germany P 20 46 149.8

US. Cl. 74/81, 66/86 R Int. Cl. F16h 21/40 Field of Search 74/81, 89.13, 423; 66/86 R References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1883 Conradson 74/423 1/1907 Sturges 74/423 900,505 10/1908 Flowers 74/89.13

1,760,960 6/1930 Paine 74/81 3,587,252 6/1971 Kohl 66/86 Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Assistant Examiner-Wesley S. Ratliff, Jr.

Attorney-Kurt Kelman [5 7 ABSTRACT A crank drive for a reciprocating yarn guide carrier band of a warp knitting machine is driven by the main drive shaft of the machine. It comprises a crank shaft, a first operating crank rotating with the crank shaft in one direction, an intermediate crank disc mounted on the crank shaft and driven in an opposite direction, a coupling rotatably mounted on the intermediate crank disc, and a driving rod for the yarn guide means. The pivot which links one driving rod end to the coupling is longitudinally slidable in the first operating crank.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHmmm 3.772.924 SHEET 10F 2 17 6 1s 13 Fig-2 DRIVE MECHANISM FOR THE YARN GUIDE MEANS OF A LOOM The present invention relates to warp knitting machines, and more particularly to improvements in a crank drive mechanism for the yarn guide means of such machine.

Reciprocation of the driving rod for the yarn guides has been effected by crank drives but known drives of this type have not satisfied the speed requirements of modern warp knitting machines for reciprocating the yarn guides from one end of the machine to the other end.

It is a primary object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional crank drives of this type so as to assure not only increased operating speed but also a quieter operation.

The above and other objects are accomplished in accordance with the invention in a warp knitting machine whose main drive shaft has operatively connected thereto a crank shaft for being driven thereby in one direction. The crank shaft drives the yarn guide means of the machine. A first operating crank is mounted on the crank shaft for rotating therewith in the one direction, and an intermediate crank is mounted on the crank shaft and driven in a direction opposite to the one direction. A coupling is mounted on the intermediate crank, and a driving rod for the yarn guide means has one end linked to the intermediate crank coupling. A pivot links the one driving rod end to the coupling and is longitudinally 'slidable in the first operating crank.

In such an arrangement, the driving rod pivot has an FIG. 1, it reciprocates the drive pulley 2 and, with it, carrier band 1 for the yarn guides.

The crank drive 7 for reciprocating the driving rod 6 is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Itis driven by the main drive shaft 8 of the loom by a suitable power source (not shown), the crank shaft 12 being operatively connected to the main drive shaft for being driven thereby in one direction. In the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 2), a beveled gear or pinion is mounted on the main drive shaft for rotation therewith and in meshing engagement with annular beveled gears on a pair of driven discs l0, 11, the driven disc 10 being keyed to crank shaft 12 for driving the crank shaft in the one direction indicated by arrow 21 (FIG. 3) while the other driven disc 11 is rotatably joumaled on the crank shaft and is driven in the opposite direction indicated by arrow 22 (FIG. 3).

An operating crank 13 is keyed to the crank shaft at an end thereof opposite the end to which the driven disc 10 is keyed, the operating crank being driven with crank shaft 12 in one direction. The driven disc 11 is oval operating path during rotation of the crank shaft, 1

rather than being linearly reciprocated. In this manner, the acceleration at the ends of the operating path is decreased, which increases the life of the moving parts of the drive.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of a now preferred embodiment thereof, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating a drive mechanism for the yarn guide of a warp knitting machine according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through the crank drive; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the crank drive of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a reciprocating band 1 trained over drive pulley 2 and carrying the yarn guides (not shown), the warp knitting machine and the yarn guide means being conventional, wherefore they are not illustrated or described. Those skilled in the art will be able to build the present drive mechanism into any suitable warp knitting machine with any desired yarn guide means which may be driven by this mechanism, neither the yarn guide means per se or the general machine structure forming any part of the present invention.

As clearly shown in FIG. 1, the yarn guide carrier band 1 is reciprocated by the drive mechanism which includes a driving rod 6 having one end linked to a crank drive 7 to be described hereinafter and another end linked to a toothed segment 5 whose teeth mesh with the teeth of pinion 4 which is keyed to the drive pulley 2. Thus, as the toothed segment 5 is reciprocated between the end positions indicated in broken lines in rotatably mounted on the crank shaft intermediate the ends thereof and includes a bearing sleeve carrying an intermediate crank disc 14 eccentrically mounted in respect of the crank shaft. Needle bearings are mounted between the crank shaft and the bearing sleeve of the intermediate crank 14 to reduce the friction therebetween during relative rotation.

A coupling disc 15 is rotatably mounted on and surrounds the intermediate crank disc, needle bearings being arranged between the intermediate crank disc and the coupling disc to reduce friction therebetween during relative rotation. Y

The operating crank 13 has a radially outwardly extending slotted arm 16 defining a longitudinal slot and the coupling 15 has a radially outwardly extending arm having an outer end. A pivot bolt 18 has one end 20 linked to the one driving rod end and its other end 19 connected to the outer end of arm 15a of coupling 15. A sliding block 17 is mounted on the pivot bolt 18 intermediate ,the ends thereof and is received and guided in the longitudinal slot of crank arm 16. Thus, as operating crank 13 rotates in the one direction and the intermediate crank rotates in the opposite direction, the pivot 17, 18 and thus the driving rod 6 linked thereto are reciprocated.

I claim:

1. In a drive mechanism for a yarn guide means of a warp knitting machine, the improvement comprising in combination therewith:

A. a continuously rotating main drive shaft;

B. a continuously rotating crank shaft for driving the yarn guide means,

a. the crank shaft being operatively connected to the main drive shaft for being driven thereby in one direction;

C. a first operating crank mounted on the crank shaft for rotating therewith in the one direction;

D. an intermediate crank mounted on the crank shaft and driven in a direction opposite to the one direction;

E. a coupling mounted on the intermediate crank;

and

F. a driving rod for the yarn guide means having one end linked to the coupling,

is a disc mounted on and surrounding the intermediate crank disc and having a radially extending arm having an outer end, the pivot is a bolt mounted on the outer arm end and having two ends, one of the pivot bolt ends being connected to the one driving rod end-and the other pivot bolt end being connected to the outer arm end, a sliding block being mounted on the pivot bolt intermediate the ends thereof, and the first operating crank defining a longitudinal slot receiving and guiding the sliding block. 

1. In a drive mechanism for a yarn guide means of a warp knitting machine, the improvement comprising in combination therewith: A. a continuously rotating main drive shaft; B. a continuously rotating crank shaft for driving the yarn guide means, a. the crank shaft being operatively connected to the main drive shaft for being driven thereby in one direction; C. a first operating crank mounted on the crank shaft for rotating therewith in the one direction; D. an intermediate crank mounted on the crank shaft and driven in a direction opposite to the one direction; E. a coupling mounted on the intermediate crank; and F. a driving rod for the yarn guide means having one end linked to the coupling, a. a pivot linking the one driving rod end to the coupling being longitudinally slidable in the first operating crank.
 2. The drive mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a beveled gear means operatively connecting the crank shaft and the intermediate crank to the main drive shaft, the beveled gear means connection driving the crank shaft in the one direction and the intermediate crank in the opposite direction.
 3. The drive mechanism of claim 1, wherein the intermediate crank is constituted by a disc eccentrically mounted for rotation on the crank Shaft, the coupling is a disc mounted on and surrounding the intermediate crank disc and having a radially extending arm having an outer end, the pivot is a bolt mounted on the outer arm end and having two ends, one of the pivot bolt ends being connected to the one driving rod end and the other pivot bolt end being connected to the outer arm end, a sliding block being mounted on the pivot bolt intermediate the ends thereof, and the first operating crank defining a longitudinal slot receiving and guiding the sliding block. 